For the most part, today’s workers are used to the idea that they’ll have to jump through some hoops to get a job, up to and including a background check. Generally speaking, however, the privacy-invasion part of the job search process happens once the offer is on the table. What would you do if a prospective employer insisted on digging into your background … before you even had a job interview? That question, plus “Tinder for job seekers,” and the little resume mistakes that really matter, in this week’s roundup.
(Photo Credit: pasukaru76/Flickr)
Alison Green at Ask a Manager: A Background Check … Before the Interview?
A reader asks about a recent interview in which he or she was asked to submit to a background check before even meeting a hiring manager:
When I met the hiring manager, she immediately asked me to consent to the screening. I mentioned I was not comfortable proceeding with the extensive screening process until I understood the position and company better. The manager generally answered a couple of my questions about the company, but she did not ask me any interview questions and indicated that a formal “interview” would not occur without my consent to the screening. I was caught off-guard and did my best (which, admittedly, was not great) to explain to her that I was uncomfortable disclosing the information at the time, and she politely ushered me out the door.
[…]
Was I right to be concerned about this company’s hiring process? Am I correct that it would not be advisable to give my personal information to a potential employer prior to an interview?
Green’s answer offers perspective on the current state of job searching (kind of crummy, economic recovery or no) and what to do if you run into this sort of thing during your own job hunt.
Emily Fearnley at That Working Girl: Swipe Right for a Job
“When you hear ‘swipe right,’ your first thought is probably Tinder (don’t lie, you know it was!),” Fearnley writes. “…Jobr is a Tinder-like mobile app that allows you to quickly and easily apply for jobs right from your mobile device with one simple motion. Jobr describes themselves as a ‘job discovery and matching platform that connects corporate recruiters and hiring managers with a rapidly growing base of talented candidates.'”
Fearnley’s post (which wasn’t sponsored by Jobr) shows newbies how to use the service.
Don Goodman at Careerealism: 8 Subtle Mistakes On Resumes That You Should Avoid
Did you know that not leaving spaces around a slash (as in, “model / actor”) could be hurting your job search? It sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Goodman explains:
While you may think your resume is covering the bases by including key terms between slashes, it may actually be missing the mark when you don’t have a space between it. For ex. “Financial Analyst/Business Analyst” looks fine to the human eye, but to the Applicant Tracking System, it does not recognize the “/” as a break between words if the search criteria the employer puts in is only for the terms “Financial Analyst” and “Business Analyst.” You’re better off adding a space before and after the “/,” like “Financial Analyst / Business Analyst.”
Find out which other little things you’re overlooking in Goodman’s post.
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